Xiao Ying had to pause after listening to Ming Cheng's instructions for him.
The boy wanted him to keep safe.
His entire job here was to put himself in danger so he could provide the the other the life he should have lead, a painless and fair reality away from the prior trauma that Xiao Ying had inflicted upon him unfairly to put him in the mindset he was in now.
It was Xiao Ying's fault and he would take responsibility for it, no matter what Ming Cheng said.
He had to.
He needed to.
There was no other way and nothing else would make the situation right.
He wondered briefly whether Ming Cheng should find out about Concubine Jing's collection of corpses under her palace and the fact that she was growing obscure and incurable poisonous plants to use.
He needed to keep Ming Cheng safe from her.
And that would involve throwing himself into danger headfirst, and besides, he was doing nothing more dangerous than what Ming Cheng would end up doing later on.
He wasn't the one throwing himself on the front lines into battle to prove a general about him wrong.
Ming Cheng was the crazy, uncareful one here in terms of putting oneself into danger, not Xiao Ying.
Xiao Ying knew that he was a coward, incapable of properly even doing his job, but at least spare him the speech and the lecture about health and safety.
Properly following health and safety regulations would not save Ming Cheng and guarantee him a painless life to the throne and then beyond.
There was still so much more work to be done.
So much more for Ming Cheng to learn to prepare himself for the future.
Being able to speak well and being hardworking was not a definite way to become the Emperor, considering what was in the boy's path.
Xiao Ying would have to begin putting him through the proper learning for it to prepare him with all the knowledge that he would need later on, but at least, for a few weeks, Ming Cheng could and would happily have his weeks of happiness before he was made to go to school.
The ambassador would be coming for his feast about a week after the first of Ming Cheng's lessons start, and he would be at least ready enough to recognise several characters and simple sentences which would be good enough for Xiao Ying to work with and to help the boy through the palace.
Exhaustion was still a problem and Xiao Ying needed Ming Cheng at the top of his game when the ambassador arrived.
He was glad that a strong bond had formed between Lan Chang and Ming Cheng, but it was now a little distressing at how she would be quickly shoved to the side, due to her narrative uselessness and how Ming Cheng would no longer need her as a mother figure, ascending as a loner and cold to the world around him soon enough.